To mark it’s 16th year of existence, Wavelength threw itself a pretty solid birthday bash this past weekend with four shows spread out over three days. I skipped out on the first night, but was ready to brave the cold and check out the festivities on Saturday afternoon for the festival’s all ages show at Markham House. I arrived just in time to see Steven Lambke deliver a low key but satisfying set of tunes, much of them off of his latest album (and first released under his own name) Days Of Heaven. After performing the first few songs solo, he called Tamara Lindeman up to the stage to join him for the rest of the set. And while she added a lot to the mix vocally, she also brought some amusing banter between her and Lambke to the stage, including the moment when he apologized for her having to wait so long to join in on one song. “It’s a hard gig,” she replied, “That’s why I wore my work boots.” Lambke would later call up another guest, Mika Posen, who joined in to play some violin over a few of his compositions.
Posen’s own set shortly afterwards as Merganzer was relatively light on violin, focusing instead on synths and Posen’s vocals. Her music, much of it based around samples, was rather haunting at times and carried by some strong vocal melodies. Posen was also good enough to give the fine people of Toronto a reality check, assuring us that, no matter how cold it may have been in Toronto, it was colder in Ottawa.
Despite the extreme cold, Warren Hildebrand aka Foxes In Fiction mentioned how great it was to be back in Toronto and how happy he was to be playing a Wavelength show. “There’s a certain warmth here that I don’t experience anywhere else.” And there’s also a certain warmth to Foxes In Fiction’s sound that made it worth coming out on a chilly afternoon. Starting his set off with a beautifully hazy wall of noise, he set the tone for the rest of his performance. Though just one man armed with his guitar and and array of effects pedals, Foxes In Fiction creates a lush, effects laden sound highlighted by his gentle yet powerful voice.